Releasable timer mechanism



Sept. 18, 1923. 1,468,580

R. D. SMITH RELEASABLE TIMER MECHANISM Original Filed Dec. 10, 1917 2 Sheets-Shea}: 1

Sept. 18 1923.

1,468,580 R. D. SMITH RELEASABLE TIMER MECHANI Sll 2 Shun-Shut 2 Original Filed Dec. 10. 1917 Patented Sept. 18, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RAYMOND n. smrrn, or ms'r HILTON, mssacnosm'rs, ASSIGNOB 'ro 'rnmon'r rnonoc'rs conroaa'rron, or nos'ron', mssacnosn'r'rs, a conroaa'rron or MASSACHUSETTS.

BELEASABLE TIMER KECHANISMJ Application filed December 10, 1917, Serial No. 206,451.

T a all whom it may concern:

Be it knofin that I, RAYMOND D.-SMrrn, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Milton, in the county of Sufi'olk and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Releasable Timer Mechanism, of which the following is a specification This invention relates to mechanism for timing the automatic movement of a tension impelled device, such, for example, as that of a port-control plug of a gas valve or a.

tapered and spring-seated rotatable plug,-- the valve being shown in its closed position.

and with casing and certain exterior controlling and indicating parts removed.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of this valve and timing mechanism, showing the parts, partially sectioned on broken away, as they are positioned in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows in front elevation certain portions of the casin and parts exterior thereof, and further s ows the valve in its open position and the timer parts normally positioned and entirely free' of operative relation to the valve. r

Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrating more clearly the co-operative relation of certain principal elements of my invention, and shows the parts in the same positions as Fin. 3.

Fig. 5 is a similar perspective view but showing the valve cocked and under tension tending to cflect automatic movement thereof. certain of the parts being broken away to indicate more plainly their construction.

Each part when appearing in difierent views of the drawing is designated by the same reference numeral and is so referred to in the following description.

Renewed January 27, 1922. Serial No. 532,261.

The tapered valve plug 12 is held rotatably by the spring 13 in its seat in the valve body 10 and is prolonged forwardly in a valve 0 crating stem 14, of decreased diam-' eter. n this stem, near its forward end is fixed an operatin plate 16, to a rearward extension 24 of which, is anchored one end of a powerful band spring 21. The'other, or inner, end of Spring 21 is fast to the hub 18 of the control arm 19, which hub is free to rotate on, and relative to, the stem 14 except for the connection of spring 21, that normally maintains said arm 19 and said extension 24 in abutting engagement.

' Arm 19 pivotally carries a bell-crank latch lever 25, normally positioned by spring 22 for holding engagement with a fixed stud '28 thereby to lock said arm in its depressed position as shown in Figs. 1 and 5, said latch having an actuating arm 27 terminating below the handle 20 at the end of control arm 19 as a convenient means of releasin said latch lever from engagement with sai stud against the action of spring 22.

The operating plate 16 carries pivotally mounted thereon, a projecting fin r 30, said finger being impelled by the spring 26 to a position abutting against a hub portion 31 of the plate 16. The purpose of the resilient positioning of finger 30 for yielding movement in one direction to its broken line position as shown in Fig. "3, will hereinafter be explained.

Between the valve body 10 and the actuating parts for the valve plug 12 just de scribed, is a face plate 36 that has a portion eirtending laterally to the left and forwardly, to afford a pivotal mounting 37 for a swinging detent lever 35. This detent lever is normally impelled by a sprin 39 to a position as shown in full lines in igs. 3 and 4. but engages with stop lugs 33 and 34 to limit its swing respectively in each direction, and also has a projecting spur 38 that, in the position of said lever shown in Figs. 1 and 5"is adapted to engage with the finger 30 to prevent valve closure, or clockwise rotation of the valve stem 14 from its position shown in Fig. 3. Rotation of said steam in theother direction to said position will not, however, be prevented by spur 38 in the latter position of the detent lever beg 1,4ee,eso

cause of the before mentioned one-way yielding of projection finger 30. y

The swinging movement of detent lever 35 operates to lock and release the valve stem from its position in Fig, 3, and said swinging movement is under government of a clock mechanism that rotates the timer element, or cam 40. The timin a whole is supported by a main'backlate 47, extending to the left from the valve dy 10, and such mechanism, in the present instance, is composed merely of an ordinary balancewheel clock-movement con ructed, however, with the timer element or c m 40 fixedly con nected, as is also one end of the clock spring 50, to the winding shaft 43, on which loosely turns the large clock gear 54. This shaft, together with the other clock gear spindles, is pivoted between the clock-movement frame plates 45 and 46. r

A well known type of friction imparted, pawl-and-ratchet connection between the arge gear 54 of the clock-movement arid the said winding shaft 43, is of such frictional strength as to enable the escapement train to hold back the shaft as impelled by the clock spring 50. Such frictional connection, however,'permits more forceful manual turning of this shaft in either direction of rotation which simultaneously winds or unwinds the clock spring 50 to a proportional degree 'and causes similar rotation of the cam 40, where'- by a notch, or recess, 49 in the peri hery thereof, is displa'ceable to a desired diagree from its position shown in Fig. 3, in which figure the rearwardly turned end 32 of detent lever 35 is shown as seated in this cam notch 49 by action of spring 39.

It will clear that, whereas not necessarily the case. the detent lever 35 in this articular embodiment of when seated as above described, locks the cam 40 against rotary movement. For this and other reasons I have devised .a tripping mechanism next to be described which automatically releases the cam 40 from this lever before said cam is rotatively adjusted to desired time setting in the usual manner.

Thecam 40 is carried on an enlarged, forwardly-extending portion 42 of the winding shaft 43. This enlarged portion carries fixed to its extreme forward end apointerhand 53, and between this pointer-hand and said cam, is mounted for a limited degree of rotary movement (relative to the shaft portion 43 andto the cam 40 and pointer 53 fixed thereto) a hub 51, from the end of which adjacent said cam.'extends to the left an arm 52 carrying a pin 55 that engages with a slot 56 in the cam 40 and limits the rotative movement of hub 51 relative to the said cam in boh directions. Opposite the arm 52 is fixedlyc carried by said hub 51, a tripping arm 60, that co-operates with an idler tripping finger 61 pivoted at 62 to the mechanism as o my invention,

forward face of cam 40. A spring 64 impels this tripping finger counter-clockwise and against the tripping arm 60, normally to maintain these parts in their position shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

The forward end of hub 51 carries fixed thereto a handle-carrying arm 65, that is preferabl positioned to extend in the opposite radia direction from the pointer 53 and to be substantially in diametrical alignment therewith when hub 51 is no ally positioned b the stop pin 55 and sigi-ing 64, as describe The pointer-hand 53 carries a forwardly projecting handle 68 and the arm 65, a similar handle 69.

A casing 70 is provided, and mounted exterior thereof is a dial 71 marked to co-opcrate with the pointer-hand 53 always to indicate the true rotative position of cam 40, said dial being preferably graduated to indicate the time that will be consumed in the return of said cam to its valve releasing position in Fig. 3, after its displacement from such position for locking the detent lever 35. A stop pin 59 engages the pointer 53 to stop clockwise travel of the latter when cam 40 has reached its position to permit entrance of the end 32 of detent lever 35 into the cam notch 49.

On the forward extremity of the valve stem 14 and exterior of the casing 70 is fixedly mounted a wing nut 63 that serves cooperatively with appro riate markings on another casing carried dial, to indicate the true port-controlling position of the valve plug 12 and incidentally to serve as actuating means for same in case of accident to the spring-connected control arm 19.

The full co-operation of the parts heretofore described will now be explained.

With the timer element or cam 40, positioned as in Fig. 3, the valve plug 12 is free to be oscillated, by the spring and abutment connected contro arm 19, in either direction, thereby to be normally established in any desired port-controlling position.

a time-controlled closure of .the valve, the' pointer 53 is turned counter-clockwise by pressure on handle 68 in direction of arrow A and by simultaneous pressure on handle 69 in direction-of arrow B. It will be aparent that such pressure may conveniently be imparted by use of the thumb and forefinger. Such manipulation initially results in the rotative displacement of handle arm 65 relativeto pointer 53 as indicatd by broken lines in Figs. 3 and 5 and in the consequent movement of tripping arm 60 and idler finger 61 against the action of spring 64 to displace lever 35 from cam notch 49 as shown in Figs. 1 and 5. Stop pin 55, at this time, however, comes into engagement with one end of slot 56 so that further premure as described on handles 68 and 69 will turn the now freed cam 40 counterclockwise to the desired time setting. Upon release of the handles 68 and 69 the now energized clock spri will operate under its escapement retard zfi actio slowly to rotate the cam clockwise, and nally to return the same, after the determined interval of time,- to its position permittin entrance of detent lever 35' into notch 49. r, if desired, cam 40 may be manually and directly returned to this position b pressure on handles 68 and 69 in clockwise direction. The operative efiect upon the valve of the operation just described is o ilviously that during such time as detent lev r 35 is held b the periphery of cam 40 in the position 0 said lever shown in Figs. 1 and 5 no movement of the valve from its position as in Fig. 3 can occur, but said valve may be tensioned for such closing movement by displacement relative thereto of control arm 19 to its locked position shown, in broken lines, Fig. 3, and in full lines Fig. 5 which displacement establishes tension in spring 21 tend'ng'to cause the time-governed,- automatic, ollowup movement of the valve stem 12 and plate 16 to their position as in Fig. 1 to close the valve.

It will beapparent to those skilled in the art that my invention may have usefuli application to timed devices other than those limited to oscillatory movement as "in the simple form of gas valve -disclosed herein merely to demonstrate the operative principles involved; and it will be readily apparent that many departures may be made from the exact arrangement of parts that I have herein chosen to disclose as a preferred embodiment. For instance, mechanism for vesting the control of a manually settable timer element (such as cam t0) and the control of a co-operating detent member (such as lever 35) in a common instrumentality (such as handles 68 and 69) convenient for simultaneous manipulation, say, by a single hand of the operator, may have uses other than to free such timer element from such detent; and for serving other purposes may be suitably modified in various details entirely within the spirit-of my invention, of which the herein described embodiment is but illustrative. I therefore do not limit the scope of my invention to such specific embodiment but what I claim is;

1. In a timing apparatus, in combination; a timer element having slow-act ng power means automatically to impel it to a stoplimited position; a detent normally urged to a position for co-opcrative engagement with said element; a device to be timed by said element through the action of said detent, said device being tensionable for automatic movement and restrainable from said movementby said detent when the latter is displaced from its said position; control means connected with said element for manually setting the same away from its stop-limited position thereby temporarily to lock said detent so displaced; and mechanism actuatable through manipulation of said control means to displace said detent from its said position.

2. In 'apparatus-timing mechanism embodying a manually displaceable and automatically returnable timer element having a recessed portion arranged in normal position of the timer element to receive a movable apparatus-controlling detent so that engagement of said detent with the recessed portion of said element holds the latter from movement; the combination with said element of a time-pointer mounted to move in unison therewith and relative to a cooperatively graduated stationary time-dial; ahandle having lost motion engagement with said element for shifting the latter to and from its said normalposition; and means actuated by movement of said handle relative to said element and time-pointer to free the recessed portion of said element. from interceptive engagement by said detent.

3. In a timing mechanism embodying a power driven timer element adapted to govern the automatic movements of a timed device by restraining and releasing an interposed detent member mounted to swing to a position for simultaneously locking said element and releasing said device, the combination with said element and detent, of an operating extension for rotatively adjusting said element; and a tripping device arranged to be actuated by said operating extonsion thereby to free said element from said detent to permit rotative adjustment of the element.

4. In a timing mechanism embodying a power driven timer element adapted to govern the automatic movements of a timed device by restraining and releasing an interposed detent member mounted to swing to a position for simultaneously looking said element and releasing said device, the com 'bination with said element and said detent;

of an operating extension movable relatively to said element and having positive engagement therewith in both directions of movement whereby saidelement may rotatively be adjusted by said extension; and a tripping device arranged to be actuated by movement of said operating extension relative to said element thereby to free the latter from said detent to permit its rotative adjustment.

5. In a timing mechanism embodying a power driven timer element adaptcd'to govern the automatic movemcnts of a timed device by restraining and releasing an inter poscd detent membcr mounted to swing to a position for simultaneously locking said element and releasing said device, the combination with said element and said detent, of an operating extension for rotatively adjusting said element; and a tripping mechanism carried partly by said element and arranged to be actuated by said operating extension thereby to free said element from said detent to permit rotative adjustment of the element.

6. In combination with a timer element that is arranged to restrain and to permit movement of a detent, in ent ositions of said element, and that is furt er arranged to be locked by said detent when in a position to permit said movement of same; a compound actuating handle, one part of which is fixed to said element and formed as a pointer-hand to indicate the rotative position thereof, and the other part of which is arranged for limited movement relative to said first part and to said element; together with a trip actuatable by said relative movement of said other handle part and thereby rendered operative to free said element from said detent.

7. Mechanism for manually actuating, at once, a. motor-driven timer element and a detent member co-operating therewith, said mechanism embodying-in combination; two concentrically pivoted and relatively swingable control arms'adapted for simultaneous manipulation and normally positioned substantially in opposite radial alignment by spring connection there between; operatin connection between one of said handles an said detent whereby relative movement of said handles actuates the detent {and operating connection between said handles and said element whereby movement of said handles in unison impels said element to different operative settings.

8. Mechanism for manually actuating both a motor-driven timer element and a detent member co-operating therewith, said mechanism embodying in combination; two concentrically pivoted and relatively swingable control arms adapted for simultaneous manipulation and normally positioned in designed rotative relation by spring connection there between; operating connection between one of said handles and said detent whereby movement of said handles relative to each other actuates the detent; and operating connection between said handles and said element whereby movement of said handles in unison impels said element to different operative settings.

9. In combination; a sprin positioned detent; a timer element arrange in respectively different positions thereof to prevent and to permit movementof said detent to its spring urged osition; a compound handle for manual y actuating said timer element, one part of which handle is fixedly connected to said element and arranged to indicate the rotative position thereof, and

respectively 'diiferthe other art of which handle is arran ed for limited movement relative to said rst part and to said element; and tripping mechanism 0 eratively related to said detent and actuate is by relative movement between said two parts of the compound handle thereby to displace said detent from its spring-urged position.

10. In combination with a resiliently positioned detent lever and a rotary timer disc peripherally formed to prevent and to permit at successive rotative positions, movement of said lever substantially radially of said disc, said lever being normally urged to a position to engage with said disc so as to prevent the letters rotation; manipulative means pivoted concentrically with said disc and connected to rotate the Same partially through lost-motion engagement therewith; and co-operating devices actuateble through movement of said means relative to disc thereby to retract said detent lever from restraining engagement with said disc.

11. In combination; a. valve stem tensionable for rotative movement to a stopped position; a slow-moving device automatically rotatable for timing said movement of the valve stem; a detent member resiliently positioned normally to prevent rotary movement of said device and shiftable into interceptive engagement with a fixed extension on said stem; time-indicating means including a graduated dial, a part of said means being rotatable with said device for indicating its degree of displacement from said stopped nected control-instrumentality having lostmotion engagement with said device and arranged by limited movement relative to the latter and to said means to shift said detent member into the path of said stem extension, said element being further arranged so that continued movement thereof impels said device through designed operative settings. V 12. In a timing apparatus, in combination; a timer element having slow-acting power means to im 1 it automatically to a stodp-limited position; a detent normally urge to a position co-operatively to engage with said element; a device adapted to be timed by said element through movement of said detent; manipulated control means connected with said element for manuall shifting the same away from its stop imited position thereby to limit the movement of said detent; through manipulation 'of said control means directly to move said detent.

13. In a timing apparatus, in combination, a device to be timed with means for tensioning it for automatic movement, a detent, a timing element normally interlocked with the detent, and means to disengage the detent from the timing element position; and a resiliently conand mechanism actuatable independent of the movement of the device the notoh independent of the movement of 10 to be timed. the deviee to be timed.

14. In a timing apparatus, in combina- Signed at Boston, Massachusetts, this 7th gion, a dogs: to be timed, means to tenlsion it day of December, 1917 6 or auto ic movement, a timing e ement comprising a notched disk, a control mem- RAYMOND SMITH her adapted to be seated in said notch, means Witnesses: for setting the disk, and means prelimi- J Anus D. GORDON, narily to move said cont 1 member out of J. E. Bmoxmx. 

